In April, CME Group’s crypto derivatives trading surged 129%, driven by Ethereum.

CME Group’s cryptocurrency derivatives market posted a major uptick in April, with daily volumes soaring amid growing appetite for regulated digital asset exposure. The exchange recorded an average daily volume of 183,000 contracts, translating to $8.9 billion in notional value—a 129% year-over-year increase.

Much of the momentum came from ether futures, which outpaced other products with a 239% surge to 14,000 contracts daily. Micro ether futures also saw strong demand, rising 165% to 63,000 contracts, while micro bitcoin futures advanced 115%, reaching 78,000 contracts.

This marks a continued shift toward granular trading strategies, supported by CME’s diverse product mix. Its standard contracts—5 BTC or 50 ETH—offer broad market exposure, while micro contracts (0.1 BTC or ETH) cater to precision traders and hedgers.

CME’s broader derivatives business also hit a milestone in April, with total average daily volume across all markets climbing 36% to 35.9 million contracts.

Despite the sharp rise in ether futures activity, the asset’s price gains remained modest—ETH rose just 1.1% over 30 days, trailing BTC’s 15.8% increase. Meanwhile, the CoinDesk 20 Index posted a 12.1% gain, reflecting solid performance across major digital assets.